


Bijective

by PartridgeOnAPearTree



Series: Transversal [19]
Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 12:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6283927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartridgeOnAPearTree/pseuds/PartridgeOnAPearTree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I wish."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bijective

**Author's Note:**

> Updating a little earlier than the usual today because my Math midterm is on Monday! So excited to drown myself in coffee and Math worksheets, heh...  
> Also, I'm taking this chance to ask if any of you are from the same country as me because it turns out that AO3 User MystxWist lives approximately fifteen minutes away from my house! (Kung may kababayan ako dito, please, sabihin niyo sakin, hahaha.)  
> Anyway, anyway, have fun with this!

Komaeda had a weird dream last night.

 

Well, maybe it wasn’t that weird per se, but he guesses that the fact that he had that dream now is the reason why it was strange. It’s something that would make sense if he dreamt of it maybe sometime last year, but now, it would just be… weird.

 

What makes it even weirder is that the dream was too realistic for his liking. He could have sworn he felt the sensation on his skin, and the blurriness of how everything felt could easily be blamed on his half-asleep daze… that is if the dream was indeed real though, but no matter how realistic everything felt, just the mere happening was enough to tell Komaeda that it isn’t.

 

In the dream, it was like Komaeda was just actually resting on his bed in the dorm. The feeling of the bed was just like the real deal, the temperature of the room, the softness of the pillows, the thickness of the blanket… but what wasn’t understandable was the realistic feeling of Hinata’s lips on his forehead.

 

It was just brief—it’s so easy to dismiss it as something else, anything, really, that isn’t a kiss—but Komaeda was sure.

 

That just makes things really weird, but then again, that’s how dreams are.

 

So Komaeda just dismisses it as one of his weird dreams because there's no way that that would happen anyway.

 

\--

 

Ah, this really sucks.

 

Komaeda sighs for the umpteenth time that day as he shifts on his side. His stomach has significantly calmed down, but he can still feel slight discomfort somewhere in the region. He was allowed to miss the entirety of the day that’s why he's in the dorm now, and while having to miss his classes because of something unexpected happening isn’t exactly a new experience for him, he still feels a bit frustrated at the moment.

 

No, it’s not because of what happened per se—it’s just because he thinks that he outdoes his already immense uselessness whenever he's idle like this. Someone like him has no right to just be leisurely resting like this while everyone else is working hard during class. He should be doing something better with his time because no matter how he looks at this situation, at the moment, he's really just taking up space and wasting oxygen.

 

Again, he sighs.

 

He tries to take comfort in the fact that, at least, instead of the symbols of hope, it’s he who had to experience this misfortune. While it’s a waste that trash like him is just worthlessly lying around at the moment, it’s even a greater waste for someone with talent to have to lie down because of something troublesome like this.

 

Right, right, he recites that in his head.

 

He’ll just think that this is a sacrifice worth something.

 

At least, because of this, no talented individual would have to put their abilities to rest even for a short while.

 

Still, he can’t deny that his stomach really hurts though…

 

He sighs for another time as he rushes to the bathroom.

 

Ah, this really sucks.

 

\--

 

It’s all difficult to believe and absorb, but one thing that Komaeda is sure about is that the people standing in front of him are Naegi’s family. They looked exactly like they did in the photos that Naegi showed him one time. Naegi’s mother had that same warm and welcoming smile just like in the picture, and really, even with that single look, Komaeda can see that Naegi must have gotten his amiability from her.

 

Her hair was as pretty as it was in the photo. Komaeda doesn’t know if it’s natural or permed, but what he knows is that she makes it work either way. Her clothes weren’t anything too grand too. It was just a simple white long-sleeved dress with a small ribbon by the shoulder, but she makes it look elegant somehow.

 

And Naegi’s father—at first glance, he seemed like a serious and all-business man, but the moment his eyes land on Komaeda, he lets out a goofy smile, and he grabs Komaeda’s hand, firmly shaking it. He looked like a dependable father, and Komaeda can say too that that must be one of the reasons why Naegi himself is quite responsible.

 

And lastly, Naegi’s sister—Komaeda remembers that her name is Komaru—she was pretty just like her mom. Her smile was friendly—all three of them make Komaeda feel like he's welcomed, make him feel like he can… have a family that he can belong with again, so he moves forward, wraps all of them with his arms, and he swears that his heart pleasantly skipped when they return the gesture.

 

“You're Komaeda-kun?” He hears the soft and comforting voice of Naegi’s mother. Her fingers were lightly running through his hair, and he closes his eyes, nodding. “Makoto has told us all about you. He told us that you're—”

 

The fingers threading through his hair are relaxing him so much, almost too much. It’s been a while since a mother has touched him, and he's infinitely thankful that the three of them haven’t let go of him yet. He can’t believe that the warmth of a family is this comfortable—he didn’t even know anymore that he actually yearned for it—and if he could… maybe join Naegi’s family somehow without causing trouble, he would.

 

“—He told us that you're a really useless person, and that you can’t do anything right.” She giggles, the sound of her voice gentle. “I also heard that everybody hates you? Or at least everyone from your class? You have no one else aside from Makoto, right? Ahh, that’s really kind of pathetic… Why is he hanging out with you anyway?”

 

Komaeda immediately pulls away, his back running cold. The three of them were still smiling so comfortingly that Komaeda could only blink in disbelief. He feels that his own eyebrows are furrowed—he really can’t understand anything—and he opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out.

  
“Right, right.” Naegi’s father agrees, nodding beside his wife. “Our boy Makoto has always been pretty strange, huh? I myself don’t understand why he’d hang out with someone like this… He has always been achieving good things right from the start, so isn’t he feeling frustrated hanging out with someone so incompetent? Even for him, this is pretty weird… He should pick out someone better…”

 

Komaeda’s hands are shaking, so he immediately puts them behind him because he realizes that he's already making a fool of himself. He should leave. He really should leave. Someone like him doesn’t belong here. He doesn’t even deserve to be here. He knows, he knows, so why aren’t his feet not doing anything to move?

 

“Yeah, I guess Onii-chan can be pretty difficult to understand sometimes.” Komaru chimes in, giving off a nod of her own too. “Now I'm really curious why he even decided to talk to you… I mean, Maizono Sayaka is in his class, right? And that supermodel Enoshima Junko? He actually showed me a class picture, and there are lots of pretty girls in his class… so there really is no reason for him to talk to you…”

 

“…Haha, I'm—” Komaeda finally finds his voice. His shaking still won’t cease, however, and he still can’t bring himself to leave and hide even if he wants to. “—I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.”

 

“Ah, it’s okay, Komaeda-kun!” Komaru flashes him another warm smile. “It’s not like you can help that you're trash. Can’t exactly blame you for being… you know… like that.”

 

He's an embarrassment.

 

He really is an embarrassment.

 

He immediately takes the chance when he feels that he finally can move his feet, and he runs as fast as he can and as far away as he can. What was he even thinking, saying that he's excited to meet them? Did he think that he magically won’t be scum anymore if he tries hard?

 

He should know better than anyone that effort does not breed success. He has known that all his life, so why did he—

 

“Komaeda, calm down, it’s okay,” The next thing he knew, he already was on his bed, sitting up, and despite his heart racing uncomfortably fast, there was still the soothing warmth firmly wrapped around him. “It’s okay…”

 

It takes him a few moments before he realizes that he was just in the dorm room instead of somewhere else.

 

There were fingers running through his hair again, and despite this whole setting being rightfully relaxing—the embrace around him was warm, the fingers on his hair are soft—he still can’t bring himself to immediately calm down. “T-They didn’t like me. Haha, I mean that’s understandable… I'm just a no-good person and—”

 

“…Wait, what are you talking about?” The person holding him slightly pulls away—not too much, just enough for them to see each other—and Komaeda must have been really stupid because he only realized that it was Hinata at that moment. “Calm down first… You were just having a bad dream.”

 

“A bad dream…” Komaeda repeats, blinking. “…I see. Right, that’s how it is... I'm sorry for troubling you, Hinata-kun. Really, I am.”

 

“No, no, it’s not a trouble.” Hinata furrows his eyebrows. “Do you want to talk about it, or…?”

 

“No, I'm okay.” Komaeda nods, forcing a smile. “I'm okay. It’s okay.”

 

“No, you're not. No, it’s not.” Hinata bites his lower lip. “You can tell me what it is, you know…”

 

“Haha, it’s just… it’s an embarrassingly petty dream.” Komaeda lets out a forced chuckle this time. “I was just being shallow, see? Hinata-kun, you shouldn’t worry.”

 

“It’s obviously not shallow if it had you being bothered by it until your sleep.” Hinata still doesn’t let him go even if his breathing starts to even out. “I’ll listen to you. Please.”

 

“Okay, if you insist… Can I text Naegi-kun first though? I have something to tell him.”

 

“Ah, right,” Hinata quickly lets him go. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s not a problem, Hinata-kun. Please wait a bit.”

 

Hinata scoots out of the way as Komaeda gets his phone that was placed on the table at the end of the bed. Ignoring this rather troubling way of waking up, Komaeda still at least is relieved to notice that his stomach seems to have stopped wrecking itself. Not only that, it also is relieving on its own to know that _that_ was just a dream.

 

He really is disgusting.

 

That dream was a sign telling him that he should know his place. He has overstepped his boundaries too much already—saying things like he too will try hard when he knows that a useless person will always be a useless person whatever happens, agreeing to stay with Naegi ‘until death does them part’, believing that someone like him gives Naegi hope—and if he knows how to be rational, he would step back by now.

 

But even if his own actions make his skin crawl, he still doesn’t stop himself from sending Naegi his message.

 

‘ _Have fun with what you're going to do this afternoon, Naegi-kun! I'm really sorry that I wasn’t able to accompany you earlier during lunch time… I’ll make sure to do my best this weekend so that I won’t be an embarrassment to your family!_ ’

 

Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting.

 

Even trash like him should know better, at least.

 

He feels even worse about himself when Naegi most kindly replies with a sweet ‘ _Don’t push yourself too hard, Komaeda-kun. I just hope you get better soon. :)_ ’

 

‘ _Thank you so much. See you tomorrow!_ ’

 

He feels like throwing up because he knows he doesn’t deserve this.

 

\--

 

“Are you sure this is alright?” That might have been the fifth or sixth time Hinata has asked that same question. They were walking outside Hope’s Peak, the cold night accompanying them, and Komaeda just nods with a smile.

 

“We promised each other, right? After you take the test, we should go and celebrate.” Komaeda chuckles. “I'm really sorry that I wasn’t able to ask you about it earlier, Hinata-kun. I hadn’t expected to fall asleep and wake up with you already around. So… can you tell me how it was? If it’s okay?”

 

“Sure, of course, but wait, honestly, I, uh…” Hinata lightly scratches the back of his head as they walk. “I'm still… pretty worried about what happened earlier. You were having a really bad dream, that much is obvious… but I hope you tell me what it was.”

 

“Haha, as I said, it was just something shallow. But alright, since I don’t want Hinata-kun to needlessly worry about someone like me any longer, I’ll tell.”

 

“Don’t say things like that.”

 

“Right, sorry, haha! Anyway,” Komaeda smiles. “Hinata-kun was right that it was a bad dream… See, I just dreamt of finally meeting Naegi-kun’s family… and then it turned out that they didn’t like me. I resolved to try my best, but I guess I still really was worried about it, after all… but that’s it, though! I'm so sorry for alarming you. You don’t have to worry anymore, Hinata-kun.”

 

Hinata bites his lower lip. “I get the feeling that you're dismissing yourself again.”

 

“Haha, not at all… No worries, Hinata-kun. Everything really is okay.”

 

“…If it helps even just a bit, I want to tell you that you're amazing and that Naegi’s family would most probably love you in a heartbeat.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Komaeda smiles widely, but Hinata didn’t look convinced in the slightest. “Anyway, anyway, we really should be having fun right now, you know, Hinata-kun. Let’s talk about something else.”

 

Hinata didn’t look like he wanted to let it go, but he yields anyway, sighing. “Alright, well, you asked about how my test went… I don’t wanna get ahead of myself, but… it wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be.”

 

“Oh?” Komaeda’s face lights up. “That sounds really good! Didn’t I tell you? I knew that there was nothing to worry about. I knew that you'll answer the questions really easily! After all, there's no way that someone like Hinata-kun would fail.”

 

“Hey, as I said, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.” Or so Hinata says, but he looked embarrassed anyway. “I mean, it really _was_ easier than I expected… but I don’t wanna be all cocky about it.”

 

“Haha, seriously? You have all the right to be cocky, you know. I'm sure the result will be good, after all. That’s just how it goes for someone as talented as you, Hinata-kun!”

 

“You always give me too much credit… but you know, um, your support… must be one of the reasons why the test went smoothly for me.”

 

“Ah, really?” Komaeda smiles. “I'm happy! That the support of someone like me was able to help Hinata-kun, I mean!”

 

“Komaeda, it’s not the support ‘of someone like you’. It’s _your_ support.” Hinata pauses for a while. “…And I think that’s what makes it effective.”

 

“Oh, haha, I see… Thank you, Hinata-kun.”

 

“What?” Hinata furrows his eyebrows. “I should be the one saying that… I mean, you were the one who gave me your support, after all, right? Thank you, Komaeda.”

 

“Well then, it’s not a problem. It’s my pleasure to be of help!”

 

“Right, so… I want you to know that… it would be my pleasure to be of help too if ever you are bothered about something.” Hinata bites his lower lip. “I mean, I’d understand if you rather tell Naegi about it, of course. I guess what I'm just really concerned about is… well, I'm kinda worried that you're bothered about something and you don’t tell anyone. Please just… tell someone, okay? It doesn’t have to be me. I mean, of course, I’d like it if it’s me, but… that’s not the main concern here. Uh, sorry, I feel like I'm just rambling all over the place, but you get what I'm trying to say, right?”

 

“I do understand.” Komaeda nods, smiling again. “You're such a nice person, Hinata-kun. I don’t deserve it.”

 

“Yes, you do.”

 

“Haha, thanks! Anyway, what should we do tonight? We should totally eat somewhere that’s Hinata-kun’s favorite, right? Then maybe we can try visiting the arcade if it’s still open? What do you think?”

 

“Sure, that sounds good.” Hinata nods. He still looked a bit worried, and Komaeda felt really guilty because trash like him doesn’t deserve that kind of attention. That’s why he's infinitely thankful when Hinata doesn’t address it again. “Can we visit the photo booth that we used last time too? If it’s okay? I kinda want to take pictures again…”

 

“Of course! What do we do first though?”

 

“I guess we should eat before anything else. Is that alright?”

 

“Yep! We’ll have more energy that way. Let’s go then?”

 

The last time they went to that city together, Komaeda can say that he really enjoyed himself. He was glad that Hinata seemed happy too, especially when they took photos in the photo booth. Komaeda isn’t sure if it’s just his imagination though, but at the last moments during that night, he could have sworn that he saw Hinata’s enjoyment dim as if the whole night just evaporated in front of them.

 

Komaeda hopes that he was just imagining that, however.

 

\--

 

“Gyoza is really good, huh?” Komaeda speaks after swallowing one of the aforementioned food. “Naegi-kun promised that we’d eat some together pretty soon. I hope he doesn’t mind that I already ate some now though! It’s just because sometimes, when someone mentions a particular food, I tend to want to eat some.”

 

“I'm sure he won’t mind.” Hinata replies after chewing his own food. “It’s still different, after all. Eating alone and eating with him, I mean.”

 

“I'm not alone right now though. What are you talking about, Hinata-kun? Aren’t you with me?” Komaeda lightly pushes the plate of gyoza closer to Hinata. “Would you like to eat some?”

 

“…Is that okay?”

 

“Huh…?” Komaeda blinks. “Haha, Hinata-kun, you're being really weird! It’s not like it’s the first time that we’ll share food together, you know… so of course, it’s okay. Just get some whenever you want to.”

 

“No, I mean…” Hinata hesitantly takes one of the gyoza with his chopsticks, as if waiting for Komaeda to stop him anytime. “You guys promised each other to eat it together… so it’d feel kinda wrong for me to eat it with you first before you guys do so.”

 

“Haha, it’s not like we’re the inventors of gyoza! Just take some, Hinata-kun. It’s really okay.”

 

Hinata still looked doubtful somehow as he puts the gyoza in his mouth. It’s almost as if he's still expecting Komaeda to scream at him at the last minute that he shouldn’t eat, after all. Komaeda’s pretty worried because he can see that if he does do that, Hinata really would spit out the gyoza right away.

 

Hinata’s just nice like that. Really, Komaeda doesn’t deserve it.

 

“How was it?” Komaeda eagerly asks with a smile. “It was good, wasn’t it?”

 

Hinata nods as he swallows. “It was. It really was. Thanks for sharing with me.”

 

“Sure! You can get some more if you want to.”

 

“Right, I remember…” Hinata pauses. “This should be my treat, right? I really miss hanging out with you, so… It’d be great if you let me treat you. Knowing you, I think you'll probably refuse.”

 

“I would. I mean, you're the one who deserves to be treated right now, Hinata-kun, seeing as you have accomplished something great.” Komaeda giggles. “But who am I to get in your way if you really want to treat me? You seem to really want to… and I’d feel even worse if I say no.”

 

“Right, and since we’re in the city already… if you see something you like, just tell me. I mean…” Hinata bites his lower lip. “…I still feel bad for not giving you anything during Hope’s Peak’s Tradition.”

 

“Ah, I see… As I said, just that hug that you gave me that night was enough. I’d accept anything, really. It’s already an honor to receive something from you. You shouldn’t let that occupy your thoughts anymore, Hinata-kun.”

 

“No, seriously, I insist.” Hinata furrows his eyebrows. “Can you stop talking like… you're not important or something like that? We’re best friends… right? So it’s just normal that I’d want to give you something for a tradition like that. So really, I mean it, just point when you see something you like.”

 

Hinata seems to be really taking the tradition seriously. Not like Komaeda isn’t, but Hinata obviously was really guilty for not giving him anything this year. It was to the point that Hinata initially rejected the gift that Komaeda made for him.

 

It was embarrassing to admit, as someone like him doesn’t have the right to feel this way, but somehow, Komaeda learned because of that that if a gift that he has made himself got rejected, it would feel like he himself got rejected as well.

 

He supposes that that was normal since it was something that he has made himself, after all. It’s not like he's someone with creative abilities, but he overhears that his more gifted classmates feel the same way too when something they created doesn’t get received well.

 

Hanamura gets personally offended whenever someone insults his food. Koizumi didn’t react too well too that one time when someone joked about one of her shots. Saionji didn’t stop herself from going all out when someone talked ill about a dance that she made herself. Tanaka immediately went defensive when Souda implied that there probably are animals that even he can’t tame, and Souda obviously wasn’t very happy too when Tanaka retaliated that there are also machines that he couldn’t create.

 

It must be something that artists feel. Not like Komaeda is implying that he's an artist nor is he in the same caliber as his classmates.

 

Maybe, if there's something that he can be similar with to the rest of them, it must be the fact that he applied effort too, at least. No matter how insignificant his is.

 

But no matter, all that is over now because Hinata accepted it too in the end. He apologized, saying something about how he's ‘ _an asshole who didn’t even recognize your effort, I'm so sorry_ ’, and that he promised to ‘ _get you something, I swear, I'm really sorry, Komaeda_ ’.

 

“Alright, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda nods. “I’ll make sure to tell you when I see something interesting.”

 

Getting something without giving anything in return must have worsened Hinata’s guilt though… so even if Komaeda thinks it’s okay that he doesn’t get anything back, he’ll still find something he likes just to help Hinata’s mind be at ease.

 

And of course, it’s a great honor to receive something.

 

Even if he doesn’t deserve it.

 

“You deserve a gift.” Hinata says so firmly that Komaeda briefly considered that he might be able to read minds. “So stop looking doubtful now… Besides, I won’t let this night pass without getting you anything.”

 

“Haha, I didn’t realize that I looked doubtful!” Komaeda chuckles. “Alright, alright, I guess there's no stopping you anymore, Hinata-kun. Especially when your decision seems firmly set already.”

 

“Thanks.” Hinata smiles a bit. “…Anyway, are you okay with staying a bit late outside tonight?”

 

“Of course. Why not, Hinata-kun?”

 

“Oh, alright… Just making sure. I mean, we still have classes tomorrow, so… I don’t want you to be groggy for tomorrow morning.”

 

“No, no, it’s alright!” Komaeda smiles to reassure him. “It’s a celebration, after all. Besides, Hinata-kun is a really important friend of mine, so it will always be okay.”

 

“Yeah, you're…” Hinata returns his smile, but it seems strained somehow. Komaeda wonders if he said something wrong. “…an important friend of mine too.”

 

\--

 

Komaeda doesn’t remember what time it was when they last went to the city, but he can remember well that the last time, the arcade was closed. He won’t forget having to run, only to see that their destination wasn’t open anymore.

 

Right now though, the arcade is working—there were some children inside, their parents accompanying them, some teenagers who seem the same age as Komaeda and Hinata, the workers—and the different 8-bit sounds of the games are playing at the same time. It’s making Komaeda feel a little nostalgic because the last time they went here was probably a year ago.

 

Komaeda can remember well that he used to win simple prizes for the both of them—small keychains, candies, chocolates—even stuffed toys, but they usually just give those to a child who watched them play. Their dorm room isn’t small or anything, but they prefer to maximize their space because stuffed toys will most probably end up collecting dust in their room in more ways than one.

 

“Here, I exchanged the coins to tokens already.” Hinata arrives shortly and hands him some tokens like he said. “What game do you wanna try first?”

 

“You can decide, Hinata-kun. I'm okay with any game.”

 

“Alright. Tell me if there's something you wanna play though.” Hinata replies as he looks around. “How about that one…? We played that too last time we went here, right?”

 

Komaeda looks at the game to which Hinata is referring. “The crane game, Hinata-kun? Right away? Don’t we usually play that last?”

 

“Ah, right…” Hinata scratches the back of his head. “Sorry, it’s the first thing I saw… It made me kind of feel like trying to get you one of the prizes. I mean, with your luck, I'm sure you can get one right away if you wanted to. But as for me… well… I'm not that lucky… so I wanted to try. But right, if you don’t like the prizes inside though, then I guess we shouldn’t go there.”

 

“No, it’s okay if Hinata-kun wants to try.” Komaeda already starts to walk towards the crane game to punctuate his words. “I shouldn’t complain. You're thinking about giving me something, after all!”

 

“Wait, no,” Hinata lightly grabs his wrist. “Do _you_ want to, though?”

 

“It’s alright.” Komaeda blinks. “Don’t be so worried now, Hinata-kun. It’s really okay.”

 

“Okay, sorry.” Hinata sheepishly smiles, slowly retracting his hand. “Let’s go. Tell me which prize you like.”

 

“It’s okay.” Komaeda smiles back, and they proceed to walking to the crane game. “Are you sure about this though? It’s gonna be expensive especially if you attempt a lot! You'll need a lot of coins, after all!”

 

“No, no, I’ll do my best to get it quickly.” They reach the game quite shortly—it’s not like the arcade was that big, after all—and Hinata turns to him as soon as they did. “Which one do you like?”

 

Komaeda hums, lightly scratching his chin as he looks at the stuffed toys inside the glass box. There was a small white owl with its eyes closed—Komaeda thought it was pretty unique because owls usually have their eyes open and that’s basically their point—a white puppy with pink accessories, a brown bear with a green necktie around its neck…

 

“This one is pretty cute.” Komaeda points towards one of the stuffed toys. “Look at that brown kitten with the green bandana… The bandana looks like a hood since the triangular part is on the back of the kitten’s head… That kinda reminds you of Naegi-kun, doesn’t it?”

 

“…Yeah.” Hinata slowly nods at the stuffed kitten that Komaeda pointed. “It really does remind me of him… so you want that one?”

 

“Yep!” Komaeda nods too, smiling widely. “If it’s okay!”

 

“Sure, it is…” Hinata fumbles with a few tokens in his hand. “…I thought that bear was pretty okay too, but I guess I was wrong, huh?”

 

\--

 

“Hinata-kun, it’s really okay—”

 

“No, wait, look, I got it this time—”

 

The claw descends, accompanied with that sound effect that seems to be already annoying Hinata, and it lightly grazes against the stuffed kitten’s head. They both gasp when the kitten gets lifted, and both of them seem to be observing the claw quite closely all the while.

 

The kitten falls when the claw goes back up to how it was before, and they groan in unison.

 

“Hinata-kun, it’s really okay…”

 

“I’ll try one more time.“

 

Before Komaeda can stop him, Hinata already puts in another token.

 

\--

 

“…Hinata-kun? Do you want me to give it a try?” Komaeda asks because Hinata must have been trying for more than twenty times already.

 

“No, no, it’s okay.” Hinata quickly replies. “I really got it now. Watch this.”

 

The kitten falls.

 

\--

 

Hinata had to lose a total of four hundred fifty yen before he got the stuffed kitten.

 

\--

 

“I'm so sorry, I think I got carried away.” Hinata’s voice wasn’t too loud, just enough for Komaeda to hear in the quiet night. “You probably didn’t have fun… We ended up not playing anything else because I just—”

 

“No, no, it’s okay, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda holds the stuffed kitten closer to himself. “I already had fun just rooting for you. You really looked determined and hopeful… so there's no reason for me to not enjoy myself, you know. Besides,”

 

Komaeda presses the kitten on Hinata’s shoulder. “You got me Nyaegi-kun. I should be thankful.”

 

“Nyaegi-kun… You already named it, huh…?” Hinata looks at the stuffed animal pressed against him. “…I'm happy you liked it.”

 

“I can’t wait to introduce Nyaegi-kun to Naegi-kun!” Komaeda pulls back the kitten, running his hand on its head as if it were real. “I think Naegi-kun will like it too.”

 

“I guess he will.”

 

“Ah, and right,” Komaeda points towards the photo booth that they used last time. It was just outside the arcade. He can remember that the reason why they went to use it in the first place was because they found it while rushing to the closed arcade. “Do you still want to take photos, Hinata-kun? Or did you think of something else to do?”

 

“Nah, I still want to… I just noticed that tall building and wondered what it was.” Hinata points somewhere, and Komaeda follows the gesture with his eyes. He sees a building with different lights—it would look like a party venue if it’s not a tall and formal-looking building—that gives him the impression that the building probably will be active for twenty-four hours. “It wasn’t that colorful back then, right?”

 

“Yep! It was just a plain building back then if I remember right.” Komaeda nods. “Do you want to check it out?”

 

“Nah, it looks like a place that neither of us would enjoy.” Hinata lets out a short chuckle. “Unless you want to, though, then sure, I’d be okay with checking it out.”

 

“Haha, no, Hinata-kun is right.” Komaeda chuckles as well. “It gives me the impression that there's a party, and it looks pretty noisy inside. I'm not very fond of noisy places… though I think already told you that before, haha, sorry.”

 

“It’s okay.” Hinata softly pats him. “Let’s hurry to the photo booth then? It seems like it would always be working, considering that it’s already late and it’s still on… but it’s better to be safe.”

 

“Right! Let’s go, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda smiles. “Nyaegi-kun will join us in the pictures!”

 

\--

 

They finished taking the pictures quite fast. Each photo took just a few seconds, after all, and even printing out was instant. There were just four photos, and Komaeda wanted both he and Hinata to keep two each just like before, but Hinata insisted that Komaeda can keep all the pictures.

 

The first photo had the both of them smiling at the camera with Nyaegi-kun placed on Komaeda’s head. The second photo—the stuffed kitten slid a bit down, but Komaeda was able to keep it balanced atop his shoulder. Hinata put out a peace sign, his small smile still intact. The third—Komaeda wasn’t ready because the kitten already fell down from his shoulder straight to the floor, so he just showed a wide grin and copied Hinata’s previous peace sign. Before the fourth gets snapped, Komaeda makes sure to get Nyaegi-kun as fast as he can, and he places it back on his head.

 

The photos were quite adorable—Komaeda is not implying that he himself looks good, but he supposes the reason why he thought the photos were great was because of the cute stuffed animal with them. It would be a waste if Hinata won’t have a copy of any of the photos, so he asks for another time. “Are you sure, Hinata-kun? That you don’t want a copy?”

 

Hinata takes a while before he continues, eyeing the photos again. “On second thought… I guess I’d want the third photo.”

 

\--

 

“It’s getting kind of late, isn’t it?” Hinata observes. The night breeze has gotten colder, but Komaeda’s thick jacket makes it tolerable. Hinata really is impressive for being able to stay unaffected despite wearing a short-sleeved shirt… “Are you tired already? I feel like I made this night boring for you…”

 

“No, not at all! I'm having fun, actually. It’s been a while since we’ve done this.” Komaeda smiles. “...Are you having fun though, Hinata-kun? You seem still worried… I'm so sorry if it’s because I'm not a soothing companion.”

 

“What? No, no, what are you talking about?” Hinata shakes his head. “You're the most soothing person that I know. I mean it. I'm just… thinking of something else.”

 

“Is it okay to ask what it is?”

 

“Well…” Hinata scratches the back of his head. “It’s nothing really concrete… and it’s not like it’s new either. Besides, I’ll just sound really shallow if I talk about it, so… sorry for being a stick in the mud. You shouldn’t worry about me.”

 

“You do know you can tell me anything, right, Hinata-kun?”

 

Hinata nods. “I know. That’s why I'm really thankful.”

 

Komaeda smiles. “Please never forget that I’ll always be here.”

 

“Thank you…” Hinata looks around. “Do you want to sit on the bench over there? We can think of where to go next while sitting.”

 

“That sounds good. My feet are getting a bit tired, after all.” Komaeda agrees. “Did you know that there was another park in this city aside from this one? The other one isn’t visited by people as frequently… though we won’t really notice the difference now because it’s late and both are probably empty at the moment.”

 

“Oh? I’ve never been on the other one. Is it different?” Hinata asks as they sit down on the bench. “When did you go to the other one?”

 

“Ah… just recently, to be honest.” Komaeda feels himself smiling rather fondly at the memory that resurfaced from this conversation. That other park—it’s a place that Komaeda will never forget now since it’s where he and Naegi had that rather heartfelt conversation during the Day of Hope. “Naegi-kun and I went there last time on Hope’s Peak’s Foundation Day.”

 

“I see.” Hinata slowly nods. “What did you guys do there?”

 

“Haha, nothing, really.” Komaeda chuckles, though he realizes that he sounded rather embarrassed. “We just… talked about some nice and important stuff. Haha, I'm starting to feel kind of shy, so maybe we should talk about something else! How about you? What did you do on the Day of Hope, Hinata-kun?”

 

“Alright, well, I was just in the dorm room...” Hinata replies. “…waiting for you to come back. While studying. Mostly studying. My day wasn’t too interesting, so it’s better if you talk about yours.”

 

“Ah, right, so I remember now… I'm really happy that you're taking a break right now, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda smiles. “Usually, you'd study even after exam week, and you don’t usually give yourself breaks! I'm flattered to be the one with you today. Thank you for giving me this honor.”

 

“I'm the one who should be saying that, you know. You're the one who accompanied me, after all.”

 

“You have nothing to thank me for though, Hinata-kun! I'm happy being with you, and I'm also happy seeing you have fun. So it’s all good, really.”

 

“Still, thank you… I hope… um,” Hinata bites his lower lip. His eyes are firmly trained on his own feet, and he's softly tapping his fingers on his own thighs as he speaks. “I hope… once I get the results… we’ll still be able to hang out like this.”

 

“Of course! If anything, we should do something even more grand when your results come back! After all, I'm sure we’re waiting for good results!”

 

“If I do get good results, and… I tell you… everything. About myself. About the person that I like.” Hinata’s fingers stop moving, and he looks up to face Komaeda. “I hope—I wish… I wish we’ll still be able to hang out like this.”

 

“Of course…” Komaeda blinks. He wonders if there's something that he doesn’t quite understand here. “There's no reason for us to stop hanging out, you know. Whatever you tell me, I think we’ll always be friends?”

 

Komaeda entertains the idea that maybe there is indeed something that he doesn’t understand here.

 

But what Komaeda understands for sure, even if he doesn’t grasp why, is that when Hinata chuckles after that, the smile that he showed was painful somehow, and that maybe, the worry that he has had all evening isn’t entirely about the test, after all.

 

“I wish.”

 

That’s all Hinata says.


End file.
